Introduction: The present study aimed to evaluate associations between parent-child acculturation differences and sleep and weight outcomes in Latinx pre-adolescents aged 10-12 years. Parent and child stress were considered as possible mediators through which parent-child discordance in acculturation may negatively impact sleep quality and body fatness. Pre-adolescent resilience and ethnic pride were explored as possible personal strengths that may ameliorate the impact of this association. Method: Data from mothers, fathers, and pre-adolescents were collected on two occasions separated by one year. In our sample, only language-specific acculturation was significantly different between parents and children. Thus, parent-child language difference was a predictor in our analyses as planned and parent and child cultural-value specific acculturation were considered as separate predictors, rather than as a difference between them. A path analysis using structural equation modeling was used to address our research questions including mediation and moderation effects. Results: In initial models, mother-child language difference and acculturation scores did not significantly predict child health outcomes and stress did not emerge as a mediator. The most consistent predictors of child zBMI throughout models were child pubertal status and number of years parent has been living in the U.S. (t(123)=.04, p=.02). After adding child resilience and ethnic pride to analyses, mother-child language difference and child cultural value-specific acculturation score interacted with child resilience to predict child waist circumference and sleep duration (t(123)=2.13, p=.005; t(123)=-2.59, p=.02). Additionally, child cultural value-specific acculturation interacted with ethnic pride to predict zBMI at timepoint two (t(123)=2.53, p=03) and ethnic pride predicted child zBMI (t(123)=-1.89, p=.03). Conclusions: Understanding the individual contexts and strengths of any group of people can help promote better health and inform interventions. The current study aimed to speak to some of this nuance by including bidimensional measures of acculturation and focusing on cultural and individual strengths. Our results would suggest that ethnic pride and resilience are strengths that could make a difference for young Latinxs, despite the possible adverse implications of the acculturation experience.

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Substance use is a growing concern among adolescents because it is a threat to their well-being and associated with negative outcomes in later life (NIH, 2014). Adolescence is a developmentally important time where independence grows, risks are taken, and some begin to experiment with substances (Burrow-Sanchez, 2006). Further, there is a high association between substance use and risk-taking behaviors, which can lead to involvement in the juvenile justice system. The rates of substance use are more alarming for juvenile delinquents (78%) (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 2004). Along with risk factors associated with early onset substance use, researchers have identified several protective factors including involvement in positive relationships with parents. In this dissertation, I studied gender-specific relationships between parent and child that were associated with lower rates of substance use among at-risk adolescents. I investigated if this relationship mitigated the effects of negative peer association on substance use among adolescents. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to complete analysis using secondary data. The sample consisted of 166 adolescents who were involved in the juvenile justice system. Results showed that higher relationship quality with mothers was found to be statistically significant in predicting lower substance use. Overall, gender was not found to predict substance use, nor did it moderate the relationship between negative peer association and substance use. Results from this study can inform prevention and intervention efforts by heightening awareness regarding the protective nature of relationships with parents, specifically with mothers for at-risk adolescents. Further research is needed to explore these gender differences more in-depth. It will be important to continue to explore gender-specific relationships and the various aspects of parenting that can lower the risk for substance use among at-risk adolescents. / Ph. D.

The problem of this study was to investigate the attitudes expressed by parents of six-, even-, eight-, and nine-year-old boys toward competition in the Carroliton Farmers Branch, Texas, Soccer Association during the 1976 Fall soccer season. Scott's Attitude Inventory and an analysis of variance at the .05 level of significance were used for the study. The data obtained from the 193 parents who participated in the study revealed that the parents held a positive attitude toward intensive competition in youth soccer leagues. Additional analysis of data revealed that attitudes of parents of boys six- and seven-years-old did not difsfner significantly from these attitudes held by parents of eight- and nine-yearold boys.

This study investigated the relationships between locus of control and perceived contingency of parental rewards and punishments. Questionnaires measuring subjects' locus of control and their perception of parental contingency behavior were administered to undergraduate college students. The obtained measures of contingency of parental rewards and punishments were correlated with scores on Rotter's I-E Scale. Of the maternal contingency factors, only noncontingent punishment related significantly and negatively to internality (males only). Paternal contingent punishment related positively and significantly to internality for both males and females. There was a significant negative relationship between paternal noncontingent punishment and internality (males only). None of the parental reward factors related significantly to locus of control.